The ice cream pop-up shop will be open through Sept. 20. If you’re taking the Metro, cross the street, walk up to the ice cream truck and down the stairs to enter the shop.
The opening comes just in time as National Ice Cream Day is on Sunday.
In alignment with D.C.’s area code, the first 202 guests in line will receive a free scoop of the ice cream flavor and SMiZE Surprize of their choice, while supplies last.
NBC Washington got a sneak peek at the newest flavors unique to D.C.
What is Smize and Dream?
The shop started as a mobile ice cream outlet in Dubai and a pre-packed shop in Los Angeles, California. D.C. is the company’s first pop-up shop.
Ice cream isn’t a new obsession to the former host of "America’s Next Top Model." Growing up, the model said that she and her mom would go get ice cream every Friday after her mom got off of work.
Banks was inspired by her mother’s drive as a single mother to make sure that she and her brother were taken care of amidst their parents’ divorce.
“I think that’s where my drive comes from of just pushing and having tunnel vision and wanting success and then also to pull other people with me is because of my mom showing me that sacrifice and that hard work,” Banks said.
With her mom’s push to make her and her brother’s dreams come true, Banks named the shop Smize and Dreams to represent just that.
"So when you're digging [in the ice cream], think about that dream---not weight loss," Banks joked. "But think about that dream and that's where it comes from."
One of her other favorite memories of eating ice cream was when she was a model living in Paris. She would eat Haagen-Dazs in between castings.
What to expect
When you enter the Flavor Studio, there are ten ice cream flavors to choose from, each categorized into three zones specified for how wild you want to go with your taste: Comfort Zone, Curious Zone and Crazy (Good!) Zone.
Before you choose your flavor, guests can choose a Smize surprise, which is a truffle hidden at the bottom of the cup or cone of your choice.
Each week, a new limited edition flavor and Smize surprise will be released on Wednesday with a tease on social media on Tuesday.
NBC Washington tried six out of the ten flavors along with the Cookie Butta truffle served by the owner herself.
The Cap Hill Crunch flavor (also known as the Who Put French Toast In My Cereal?) pays homage to D.C., of course. But Banks also said that it was inspired by a strict childhood rule: no sugary cereals.
It’s a Cap'n Crunch-infused ice cream that has a Cap’n Crunch griddle and pieces of French toast.
When News4 asked if she had another favorite flavor from childhood, Banks said that it’s in one of the upcoming limited editions!
Why Banks picked D.C. as the new pop-up location
Banks wanted to start an ice cream business nearly 20 years ago. While she had names picked out (and admitted that they weren’t great), she was busy at the time with hosting her talk show so she put the business idea on the shelf.
If the shop first debuted internationally, why put a shop here? For one, her brother has been living in D.C. for 28 years in the military. She and her partner also enjoy the sights of D.C. with her favorite part being Georgetown.
On a deeper level, the company plans to open a non-profit ice cream and entrepreneurial learning center.
The school aims to support the economic development of D.C. by educating underserved youth about the ice cream industry, according to a press release. The company will collaborate with government agencies and local organizations to support the learning center.
Here’s a full list of the Smize and Dream ice cream flavors
- The Best Vanilla I Ever Had (We were able to taste the first batch!)
- Dough Dough & Mo Dough
- Chocolate GooGoo Cake
- Purple Cookie Mon-St⭐r
- Cap Hill Crunch
- StrawNana Pudding
- Wake Up and Smell the Crunchy!
- Mint Chips N’ Dip
- Chocolate Cookies & Cream (Vegan)
- That Woodley Park Thang
After a long day at the National Zoo or if you’re in the area, stop by the shop to cool off with a flavorful treat at Smize and Dream.
